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    The French Executioner: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The French Executioner: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The French Executioner: A Novel
    Ebook542 pages10 hours

    The French Executioner: A Novel

    By C.C. Humphreys

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "If you like Bernard Conwell's Grail Quest series, you'll love The French Executioner and The Curse of Anne Boleyn. To my mind Cornwell is good, but Humphreys is better."—Sally Zigmund, Historical Novels Review (UK)

    The last thing Jean Rombaud expects upon being summoned to behead Anne Boleyn is to dedicate his life to her. But the ill-fated queen has a mysterious request for her executioner: that after taking her life he also take her infamous six-fingered hand and bury it at a sacred crossroads in France. His oath will set Jean on the most dangerous journey of his life.

    In The French Executioner, C.C. Humphreys once again brings the past to life in all its glory and peril. This thrilling novel captures the breathtaking story of how courage, love, and loyalty bound Anne Boleyn to the man who ended her life—and saved her legacy.

    "Humphreys has fashioned a rollicking good yarn that keeps the pages turning from start to finish."—Irish Examiner
    "A wonderful saga of magic and heroism. If you can find a first impression, hoard it and wait till it rises in value like a first edition of Lord of the Rings. This is as good."—Crime Time, UK
    "A brilliant, brutal, and absorbing historical thriller on the real-life figure of Jean Rombaud, the man who beheaded Anne Boleyn."—Northern Echo
    "An entertaining read—a charming page turner."—Edmonton Journal
    "Lightning paced."—Publishing News

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateOct 7, 2014
    ISBN9781402272356
    Unavailable
    The French Executioner: A Novel
    Author

    C.C. Humphreys

    An award-winning novelist, playwright, actor and teacher, Chris Humphreys has written 22 novels including ‘The French Executioner’ - runner up for the Steel Dagger for Thrillers, UK -‘The Jack Absolute Trilogy’, ‘Vlad–The Last Confession’, and ‘A Place Called Armageddon’. Chris adapted his 12th novel, ‘Shakespeare’s Rebel’ for the stage and it received its premiere in 2015 at Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, Canada. His novel ‘Plague’ won Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in 2015. ‘Chasing the Wind’ follows the daring adventures of 1930s aviatrix, Roxy Loewen. His modern crime novel, ‘One London Day’ was published in 2021. He recently completed his epic fantasy series for Gollancz, ‘Immortals’ Blood’, beginning with 'Smoke on the Glass'. His novels for young adult readers include, ‘The Runestone Saga Trilogy’ published by Knopf, as well as ‘The Tapestry Trilogy’. His latest novel is 'Someday I'll Find You', a WW2 epic romance. It was published by Doubleday Canada on June 6th 2023 and around the world on Spetember 5th 2023. His novels have been translated into thirteen languages. He holds a Masters in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from the University of British Columbia, has been keynote speaker and Guest of Honour at several conferences - including the HNS North American Conference in Denver 2015. A busy audiobook narrator, as an actor Chris has performed on stages from London’s West End to Hollywood. Visit him at: https://www.authorchrishumphreys.com/

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    Reviews for The French Executioner

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and I will admit that I have enjoyed several other books by the author. I will admit that I found it a bit removed from most Tudor fiction and in some ways that was good and in others it was not. I do know that it is probably the book with the words "six fingered hand" mentioned most often and it would provide great drinking game opportunities - yes, the phrase appears that frequently. It was starting to distract me from the plot.All six fingers aside - and from some things I've read it's been debunked that Anne even had an extra digit - the book was interesting. It has a mystical bend so don't go into it expecting a straightforward story or you will be disappointed. Mr. Humphreys does write in a way that draws you into the story. In this case the story of the executioner following Anne Boleyn's request to bury her six fingered hand in a special place at a certain time. But he is thwarted when it is stolen from him. So begins the wild adventure of retrieving the Queen's hand and completing his task.I do love a good adventure tale now and then and this did not disappoint on that measure - there were a lot of sword fights and racing about the countryside on horseback. The sword fights were sometimes a bit hard to follow and gory but what such type of fight isn't? Our hero Jean, has a very sad back story and very unpleasant career so taking on this task for the once Queen of England is a kind of redemption for him. He is joined on his quest by a couple of misfits and they find themselves in several difficult situations and even end up as slaves on a galley ship at some point. But they work together to do what the Queen wanted.It was a good read if a touch confusing in some points. I did appreciate the twist on Tudor history - I do love looking at the old and turning it upside down. And Mr. Humphreys does have a way with word.s
    • 5/5
      As a fan of this authors writing voice, I was very happy to see that this series is now being offered in eCopy. Even after reading the synopsis, I was pleasantly surprised by the plot, and especially by the characters. This is not your average historical fiction and that, at least for me, was very good.

      I’ve read so many Tudor historical fictions that sometimes I think I’m way too familiar with the subject. Well, color me happy with this story!

      As much as I find Anne Boleyn’s character intriguing, it’s the swordsman who wielded the sword at her execution that I find fascinating. How many of us have ever even given a thought about the executioner who was specifically sent from France to execute Queen Anne Boleyn? I never did! CC Humphreys obviously had and he wrote a fascinating story about him.

      I also liked and appreciated that this story was presented as an adventure, filled with plenty of swashbuckling, yet still had plenty of history to make it an all around entertaining read.

      If you’re looking for an exciting novel populated with intriguing and fascinating characters, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

      Melanie for b2b

      Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
    • 5/5
      This book is fascinating! I loved it, and would recommend it to anyone.
    • 3/5
      “The French Executioner” is C.C. Humphreys’ first novel and I was quite excited when I finally obtained a copy. The first half of the volume delivers, containing many of the intrigues and dynamism that make Mr. Humphreys’ later works marvelous reads. However, “The French Executioner” begins to falter half-way through becoming a mishmash of rescues, counter-rescues and “don’t kill him yet” scenarios. Even though the story is enjoyable and the plot swift, I don’t feel Mr. Humphreys’ sly wit and writing strength are strongly present here.
    • 4/5
      Page turning historical fiction of the 1500's. Anne Boleyn's sixth finger is in great demand.